Track-scraper attachment for street-railway cars.



No. 699,573. Patonted May 6, I902. F. N. ROOT.

TRACK SCBAPER ATTACHMENT FDR STREET RAILWAY CARS.

(Application fil ed Dec. 21; 1901.;

( No Model.)

m: mam: m zns coq-vnomumon wisnmoron o c PAT FFICE.

FRED N. ROOT, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN;

TRACK-SCRAPER ATTACHMENT FOR STREET-RAILWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,573, dated May 6,1902. Application filed December 21, 1901. Serial No. 86,795. (Nomodel.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED N. ROOT, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-ScraperAttachments for Street-Railway Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved trackscraper attachment forstreet-railway cars.

The object of the invention is to provide a spring-pressure device forthe scrapers which will enable a strong pressure to be applied at anytime desired without danger of clogging the scraper or seriouslyobstructing the progress of the car. v

Afurther objectis to providea means in connection with such ascraperthat will efficiently and thoroughly clean the rail itself withoutinterfering with the operation of the remaining parts of the scraper orrequiring a close adjustment of the parts.

Further objects will definitely appear in the detailed description tofollow.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and meansdescribed in the following specification.

The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the claims.

A structure embodying the features of my invention is clearlyillustrated in the accom panying drawings,forminga part of thisspecification, in which Figure l is a detail sectional view of myimproved attachment, taken on a line corresponding to line 1 1 of Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of the wheels and scraper in relation tothe frame of the car. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional View takenon line corresponding to lines 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. l is anenlarged detail sectional view taken on line 4; 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 isadetail View showing the method of attaching the springs to therock-shaft and the formation of the upper portion of the springs. Fig. 6

is a detail view of a modification of the railcleaning device inconnection with the scraper. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the bottomportion of the rail-cleaner I. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the adjustableshoe I of the railscraper.

In the drawings all of the sectional views ings, A is a frame or bottomstructure of a street-railway car shown in conventional form.

B is a rock-shaft supported on the adjustable bearings D, which areadapted to adjust 'on the brackets 0, supported on the under side of thecar, a series of boltholes being providediu the bracket 0 to receive theatcaching-bolt, as clearly appears in Fig. 1. Toward each end of thisrock-shaft a spring E is attached, which extends upwardly and rearwardlyand which is slightly twisted or bowed toward the center of the car andex tends downwardly, and at the lower ends are carried scraper-blades E,which extend diagonally outwardly and rearwardly, their path being infront of the wheels F of the street-car. The rock-shaft B is adjustableby means of a bell-crank c at the front of the car, which is controlledby an adjustable handle a. The bell-crank is connected by aconnecting-rod e to a downwardly-projecting arm B on the rock shaft B.It will thus be seen that by adjusting the handle a up and down theposition of the scrapers E can be controlled and the pressure of thespring thereon regulated.

Secured to the rock-shaft 13, preferably in the same manner as thespring E, is an auxiliary or rail scraper I. This is a springsubstantially the same as the spring E in general outline and is adaptedto work independent of it. An adjustable shoe I-is on the'lower end ofthe spring I, the lower end of which projects normally lower than thescraperblade E, the same being conformed to fit the top of the rail, asclearly appears in Fig. 8.

In the modified structure shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the auxiliary or-rail,scraperl is secured to the spring E. It will be seen with this devicethat when there is a fallof-snow by lowering the scrapers E they willpass with a yielding pressure along the surface of the ground, pilingthe snow out and away along each side. Then following immediately afteris the auxiliary scraper I, which completely bares the rails, enablingthe electric contact, and consequently insuring the proper propulsion ofthe car. When there is only a very light snow on the rail, it will notbe necessary to lower the scrapers E clear down, but the device can belowered suificiently so that the auxiliary scraper I just brushes thetop of the rail. It will thus be seen that the device is efiective forboth light and heavy snow and that the sweeping of the rails by broomsor the cleaning of the track with shovels and the consequentdifficulties will be largely overcome by this device. Owing to thearrangement of the spring if a load of accumulated snow or slush becomestoo heavy for the spring to readily displace the scraper will bedeflected inward until its resistance is suchasto overcome the load,when it will throw the same to one side away from the track, so thatthere will be no danger of an accumulation in front of the wheels and aclogging of the car on that account.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination of the rock-shaft 13;connections for adjusting the same; springs E curved upwardly andrearwardly and downwardly secured to the said rock-shaft, the upperportions of said springs being deflected inward; diagonal scrapers Esecured to the rear and lower ends of said springs; and auxiliaryspring-scrapers I having adjustable shoes I secured to said rock-shaftand adapt ed to rest upon the rails, for the purposespecified.

2. The combination of the rock-shaft B;

connections for adjusting the same; springs E curved upwardly andrearwardly and downwardly secured to the said rock-shaft, the upperportions of said springs being deflected inward; diagonal scrapers Esecured to the rear and lower ends of said springs, for the purposespecified.

4. The combination ot the rock-shaft B; connections for adjusting thesame; springs E curved upwardly and rearwardly and down wardly securedto the said rock-shaft; diagonal scrapers E secured to the rear andlower ends of said springs, for the purpose specified.

5. A scraper for street-railways carried on a suitable yielding spring;an auxiliary scraper independently supported to the rear of andextending below the bottom of the same and adapted to yield independentof the main scraper.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presenceof two witnesses.

FRED N. ROOT. [.L. s]

W'itnesses:

W. S. W001), OTIS A. EARL.

